South Carolina Department of Corrections/Facebook James "Jamie" Baldwin's most recent mugshot/Judy Orr Baldwin with her husband, James "Jamie" Baldwin one week before her death.
James “Jamie” Baldwin is a former police officer and dispatcher who is serving a life sentence in the murder of his wife, Judy Orr Baldwin. He staged her death to look like a car accident.
Law enforcement initially believed Baldwin’s story, that his wife died accidentally. The evidence initially appeared to match his story. He was driving a Jeep, which went off a dark, rural road and into an embankment December 14, 2016 in Chester County, South Carolina. Judy was found dead, thrown from the vehicle. Her family pressed officials to investigate the death as a homicide, which ultimately led to a conviction, The Herald reported. Read more about her murder here.
The murder of Judy Orr Baldwin and the attempted cover-up by her husband of four years is being discussed on Dateline NBC in an episode which airs at a special time. “The Black Box” is a one-hour special that airs on NBC at 10 p.m. EST. Baldwin is 60 years old.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jamie Baldwin Is Held at an Undisclosed Location Within the South Carolina Department of Corrections & Started a New Job in Prison March 10, 2020
James Baldwin’s prison records
James “Jamie” Baldwin is serving a life sentence with no eligibility for parole in the death of his wife, 53-year-old Judy Orr Baldwin. Judy’s first husband, Todd, died in a motorcycle accident. Her family members told Dateline she seemed “giddy” with Jamie. The two had a whirlwind romance, and they were married in 2012 just eight months after they met.
Baldwin is incarcerated within the South Carolina Department of Corrections, but his location is undisclosed, according to prison records. His incarceration began August 14, 2018. Throughout his time in prison, Baldwin has made no escape attempts and faced no disciplinary action. He hasn’t earned any education credits, either, his prison records said.
James Baldwin prison records
Baldwin started a new job as a “wardkeeper assistant” on March 10, 2020, the Department of Corrections database shows. The duties of a wardkeeper assistant include assisting in the day-to-day operations of a housing unit, the state DOC told Fox Carolina.
Baldwin was also charged in a case unrelated to the murder. In York County, South Carolina, Baldwin was accused of burning down a woman’s mobile home and collecting insurance money on the fire in 2017. He was free on bond in that case when he was arrested in connection with his wife’s death in 2018, according to The Herald.
Jamie Baldwin was a police officer for the York Police Department and Columbia Police Department. He was also a dispatcher for the Chester County Sheriff’s Office for a decade, according to The Herald. Prosecutors said he used his experience as a former cop to stage the murder to look like an accident.
Jamie Baldwin Moved In With Another Woman Less Than Two Months After His Wife’s Death
Allegations surfaced during the murder investigation of Judy Orr Baldwin that Jamie Baldwin was having an affair. Teri King was a member of the motorcycle club to which Judy and Jamie both belonged. King testified at Baldwin’s trial, and denied having a sexual relationship with Jamie. However, she said she moved in with Jamie Baldwin just 1 1/2 months after his wife’s death, according to CN2. Baldwin told investigators he was renting a room from her because he could not afford to keep their house.
‘I Love You More,’ Jamie Baldwin Wrote to Judy Orr Baldwin on Facebook, Less Than 2 Weeks Before Her Death
The image Jamie and Judy Baldwin portrayed on social media would never suggest that Jamie Baldwin could ever kill his wife. In the weeks leading up to her death, Judy Orr Baldwin posted pictures of herself and her husband and wrote about their relationship.
To police investigators, Jamie Baldwin also portrayed that their relationship was going well, according to CN2.
“It was about as perfect as it gets. We had a great relationship,” Baldwin said during a police interview played at his trial.
After Judy Baldwin’s death and before Jamie Baldwin’s arrest, he continued posting on Facebook, sharing photos of himself with grandchildren and with his motorcycles. The public posts did little to hint at the loss of his wife.
“I’m hanging in there. It’s been a little rough,” he wrote in a reply to a comment on September 4, 2017.
Just one week before she died, Judy Baldwin shared a picture of herself and her husband with their arms around each other. He was wearing a Santa cap and they were both smiling. He was wearing a leather vest emblazoned with a patch for Carolina Thunder Christian Motorcycle Club, a group to which they both belonged. Two days before that, she shared a picture of their first Christmas together in 2011.
“Jamie Baldwin, Our first Christmas 2011, I love you more than you could ever imagine! Thanks for everything you do for us!” she wrote.
“I love you more,” he commented.
She replied, “I don’t think so!”
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